Skip Hollandworth's The Midnight Assassin is an in-depth true crime tale of a ghostly killer who roamed the streets of Austin, Texas, in 1884-85.
The killer, who primarily used an axe, murdered four black women, a black man, a black child, and two white women in ways that unnerved even the steeliest of law enforcement officers. Striking randomly, the killer left few clues at the crime scenes, and even witnesses could not agree on any definitive description of the assailant.
Hollandworth, a noted crime writer and executive editor of Texas Monthly, provides a sharp black-and-white historical snapshot of the times. Politicians blustered, fearing for their electoral futures and bad publicity for the growing city of Austin. The press thrived on the gruesome killings, churning out one lurid story after another. Black men came under intense scrutiny, with suspects scooped up and beaten in attempts to gain a confession. Law officers had no answers and could only rely on footprints and bloodhounds as means of investigation.
With what we know today of modern techniques for investigating crime, the efforts of law enforcement were so inept and primitive as to be laughable. City and state leaders brought in a string of marshals, detectives, and even a Texas Ranger who accomplished little other than to terrorize the city's population of black men.
It seemed there was nothing anyone could do.
Austin's mayor, John W. Robertson, summarized: "I employed detectives who came with the highest endorsements as honest and skillful men. They, too, have failed to detect the guilty parties. Great vigilance and energy have been displayed by private citizens, who have devoted much time and labor to bring to light the real criminal. They have accomplished nothing."
The killings did provide the genesis for the idea of a serial killer. One reporter called the perpetrator "The Midnight Assassin," suggesting the killer carefully and intelligently planned the murders. "That the perpetrator has, so far, not only accomplished his ends but successfully escaped and blinded police, would seem to indicate that he is a criminal of no mean ability...but one of the most remarkable ghouls known to the death history of any section of the country."
The killings stopped after the December 1885 murders of the two white women. Later, similar attacks on two girls were reported in Gainesville, Texas, in July 1887. No arrest was made.
In 1888, when Jack the Ripper began killing prostitutes in London's Whitechapel district, speculation ignited about the possibility of the Midnight Assassin plying his deadly trade across the Atlantic. Despite some tantalizing clues, investigations failed to prove any connection to the Austin slayings.
I rate The Midnight Assassin four stars. Hollandworth's scholarship is meticulous, and he paints an excellent portrait of Austin—its good and bad points—with a clear, concise style. Of course, one has to be disappointed that no killer came to light and justice. That's not the author's fault—he seems just as disappointed—but the book does fade out as it becomes apparent that we'll never know who committed the murders or why. Still, for those interested in true crime and history, Hollandworth's book is a fine read and sure to appeal to fans of the genre.
Comments